A blog dealing with either the joy of cinema or the agony of cinema--nothing in between.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Who's That Knocking at My Door

A young man (Harvey Keitel) wanders aimlessly with his buddies through the streets of New York. His thoughtfulness and intelligence are revealed however during a trip to the country and when he meets a nice young girl (Zina Bethune) on the Staten Island Ferry, dishing to her on John Ford's The Searchers and his other favorite films. The two begin a courtship which is forever adulterated when she reveals to him that she had once been raped, a fact he cannot come to terms with. Who's That Knocking at My Door was the autobiographical directorial debut of Martin Scorsese and a drum roll to Mean Streets, its pseudo sequel that announced the whirlwind director to the world. Shot on a shoestring and beleaguered by distribution problems, WTKAMD nonetheless contains Scorsese's trademark themes, techniques, and naturalistic film aptitudes that capture an engrossing, extremely personal story. Keitel, who was also making his film debut, delivers a sublimely emotive lead performance.